Misha Collins AMA Reddit – July 14th 2014

Question: Hi Misha. I’m a 24 years old girl from Casablanca, and a few weeks ago I watched your larry king interview. In it, you said something that had a huge impact on me. I remember crying and I’m not a sensitive person at all. You talked about how a 100 dollars given by a woman to your mom helped you all on Christmas when you were young and how to this day you remember that act of kindness and it makes thrive to help people. I had a difficult time growing up. Life is hard for me. But when you said that.. it reminded me of the help I received growing up. No matter how unsignificant it may seem now. Growing up I was very generous with my time and money. .now I’m not.. and it shames me. So your words hit something inside and made me rethink my choices and life. I’m in the process of becoming a better person and I thank you for it. Guess I should ask a question as it’s an AMA : Has GISHWHES affected you as a person in any way? And do you think that GISHWHES will still be here in 10 or 20 years and with you still in it?

Misha’s Answer: Thanks for sharing that story. I have several stories from my childhood (which was both full of love and full of difficulty), in which my family relied on the generosity of strangers to get through hard times. A mom of a classmate game my mom $100 to buy us Christmas Presents, someone stopped when we were camped on the side of the road and put us up in a motel for the night and gave us a gift-certificate to a restaurant. I remember these things like they happened yesterday. They stuck with me. It’s my hope that Random Acts run by the amazing Cinde Monsam and an incredible team of volunteers can help perpetrate those kinds of acts in peoples lives. It’s not just the act itself that matters, i think, but the ripple effect that the act has. The woman who gave my mom $100 probably wasn’t thinking that 35 years later, i would still be talking about it, thinking about it and urging others to do similar things. And yes. i certainly hope that GISHWHES or something like it is around for many years to come. I think it’s a great device for getting people out of their shells, getting them creatively engaged with strangers and getting them to notice people who might need some help in their communities. Oh, and it’s a lot of fun and makes me laugh.

Question: Dearest Misha, At my place of business it is not explicitly stated that coming to work as a robot or stormtrooper or other such thing is against the dress code. In my interpretation of the employee handbook, as long as I wear my baker’s jacket and hat I am not breaking any rules. In the event that The Hunt requires something of this nature and my boss does not agree with my interpretation, what incantation and/or spell should I use to subdue him so that I may continue to bring the whimsy? PS: What do you want for your birthday? PPS: I love you.

Misha’s Answer: chelsea, i think if your boss has an objection to the attire you come to work in during GISHWHES, you should simply fire him. When i try to use incantations at work i often find they have no effect and my coworkers just laugh at me. What do you want for your birthday?

Question: Have you ever actually gotten sick because of something West has made?

Misha’s Answer: i nearly puked when he made pasta with jam sauce. I smiled for the camera, because that’s what i’m trained to do, but i almost puked.

Question: What does Misha Collins smell like?

Misha’s Answer: Fermented cod liver with a hint of peppermint.

Question: Hi Misha, my name is Ashley. Firstly, I just want to say thank you for being awesome 😀 you’re the best kind of role model. Also, I’d like to get your input. I have just recently heard about GISHWHES, and it sounds awesome! Something I really want to do. But, what do you suggest to someone with a pretty bad social anxiety problem? I want to participate, but no one in my personal life (read as: anyone I’m comfortable with) is interested, so I’d have no one to participate with. I know that I can be assigned to a team of 14 other people. But, the thought of meeting strangers and having to work with them sometimes makes me want to hyperventilate (no joke). Participating in GISHWHES is a great goal for me, to help me overcome some of the anxiety and get me out of my comfort zone (very much like even asking this question has done). I was thinking of sitting this year out, just to watch, and maybe participating next year? But then it was announced that GISHWHES will be starting on my birthday (August 2nd), so I’m taking that as a sign. So now I’m looking for another sign. Should I participate this year, and if so, what advice can you give me, and others like me, to help overcome the social anxiety involved? Thanks again ❤

Misha’s Answer: can anyone answer this question for Ashley? A lot of people have told me that they have had some of their social anxiety ameliorated by participating in GISHWHES.

Question: Last year, our team took the rules VERY seriously. “Do not reinterpret items. Provide the item exactly as it is requested. If the item reads “A photo of you standing with the Queen of England,” we don’t want you in front of a picture of the Queen, or you in front of an action figure of the Queen. It must be a photo of you with the Royal Mum in the living flesh.” imagine our dismay when viewing the top teams’ photos and seeing many “interpreted” submissions (Russian Colonel in boxer shorts, prisoner making a license plate, etc.). We were under the impression that it would be detrimental to our score to “fake” those near impossible tasks. is it safe to assume that particular rule isn’t as rigid as the website makes it seem?

Misha’s Answer: Actually just because the team won, doesn’t mean that they got credit for all the items they submitted. In fact, they didn’t they were docked points for a great many items. They also happened to turn in a shitload of really good items, so they still won. Don’t fake it. It’s a waste of time.

Question: Ahoy hoy, Misha! Thank you for taking the time to do this, and I have two questions. Everyone knows that if Sam Winchester were an ice cream flavor, he would be Moose Tracks. What flavors do you think Dean and/or Castiel would be? What Hogwarts house do you think you would you be sorted into? Thank you again, and I want you to know that all of us over at /r/Fandomnatural love you and all you do. Mostly for your amazing acting as Castiel, but no one can ignore your wonderful charity contributions and fun personality. Representing gishwhes team Crowley4King!

Misha’s Answer: Dean’s ice cream flavor would be “Pie.” Castiel is an angel. Angeles have feathers, chicken’s have feathers, so Castiel’s flavor would be “Fried Chicken.”

Misha’s Answer: That’s an excellent question. I haven’t probed the depths of my psyche on this point. I assume it points to some childhood trauma. Perhaps i was told not to play with my food and now i am acting out a youthful rebellion agains that oppressive edict.

Question: How can I, a lowly commoner, make the world a weirder place?

Misha’s Answer: Ask yourself, why do we follow these rules? Then choose to not follow them. Or, if that sounds daunting, you could just join GISHWHES.

Question: Hey Misha! Here’s a Welcome to reddit lase I made for you: (Link) (Last minute bonus lase for GISHWHES! (Link)) So for the question: Out of hundreds of iconic moments in SN, probably the most stunning and impactful scene in SNs long history was your introduction and when those black wings spread behind you. When did you realize this was going to be much bigger for you than initially anticipated?

Misha’s Answer: nice work on your art. Every year, supernatural has a little premiere party for the broadcast of the first episode of the season. My character started in the first episode of the fourth season and i went to the party for it. At the time i thought i was only doing three episodes and i didn’t really know anything about the show. When the scene you are talking about came on the screen, Sera Gamble, one of the writers/producers on the show leaned over to me and whispered, “your life is about to change.” I thought to myself, “Man, this woman has a really overblown sense of this show. This is just another guest starring arc on some silly show.” I was wrong. Sera was right.

Question: I’ve read Vicki’s book on threesomes and I enjoyed it immensely, although I have yet to put anything into practice. Anyway, would you ever consider writing a book? If so, on what topic?

Misha’s Answer: I’m glad you enjoyed my wife’s pornography. I have considered writing a book. However, a friend of mine, Matt Thomas, just wrote a novel that was so extraordinary that i have lost heart. I will never write anything that good. His book is called “We are not Ourselves.” If you read it you will see what i mean. If i write a book it will probably be a book about how not to use the internet or a book of poetry.

Question: Any chance of another Cooking with West episode? 😀

Misha’s Answer: Yes. i plan to continue shooting episodes of cooking fast and fresh with west until West (my son) refuses to do them with me. Even after he starts refusing, i might drug him and shoot the episodes anyway.

Question: What’s the most ridiculous rumor you’ve seen about yourself since you got famous?

Misha’s Answer: That i am on tumblr. I am not on tumblr. I can barely spell tumblr. However, there does seem to be someone on tumblr (who copied my reddit user name) who is apparently trying to impersonate me. I like the idea that people are pretending to be me. I spend most of my time pretending not to be me.

Question: Fuck, Marry, Kill: Mark Sheppard, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki. Also, How do you get your hair so sextastic? Could you confirm that charity scavenger hunts directly correlate to the sexiness of a persons hair? Have a fantastic day Mister Misha 🙂 I’m pretty sure he uses Serpessence for his hair

Misha’s Answer: Fuck: MS (because i think he’d come up with some pretty good heat-of-the-moment pet names for me) Marry JA, because he’s good in the kitchen and kill JP, because it would be incredibly satisfying to say i took down a guy 4 inches taller than me.I do use serpessence in my hair. However, i need to do that because running scavenger hunts actually precipitates hair loss.

Question: I have my questions prepared, Mr. Collins. a) GISHWHES in an incredibly exciting experience (or so I’ve heard). Can you give me one wonderful reason to compel me, a possible first-timer, to jump on the bandwagon? (b) Apparently, there’s a Baptist Church that has banned you because they believe that you are the Antichrist. So tell me Mr. Collins, are you the Antichrist? P.S. – My brother thinks you look cool…

Misha’s Answer: You should do gishwhes.com because i’m telling you in a very stern voice that YOU SHOULD DO GISHWHES.com. You shouldn’t need anymore cajoling than that. If you don’t have one of the best weeks of your life, you can call me and i’ll give you a homemade quilt to wrap yourself in.and b) i have been trying to hide my secret identity for sometime, but the cat was bound to get out of the bag. Someone was going to figure it out eventually.

Question: What is the greatest and most moving experience you have had with a fan? In relation to the question, I’d like to quickly say that when I met you at asylum 12, you offered me a lot of support about being a member of the LGBT+, and it was extremely moving and has got me through some tough times since as I am now in a position where coming out would be dangerous. So it got me thinking that you must have touched the lives of so many people, and I was wondering if anyone has touched yours in return.

Misha’s Answer: I have had many very moving experiences with fans. A large group of fans (and a few non-fans) went with me several times to Haiti to help raise money for and build a school/orphanage (among other things), that was something of a life-changing experience for me. I have also had many interactions with fans telling me that somehow my character on Supernatural, or the show itself, or my snarky online persona, had had a profound impact on them. I’ve received letters and heard stories that have made me tear up. There are a lot of people out there with incredibly difficult lives and when they share their stories, it can be very profound. I’m glad you have managed to come out and (it sounds like) move through a difficult phase in your life.

Question: Hello! I was going to do GISHWHES last year but I dropped the ball and didn’t register in time. Definitely participating this year! I was wondering, though, how exactly does the idea of having a team spread out all over world work? Logistically anyway…Google translate and everyone just takes pictures by themselves? Also, I’m having trouble convincing my friends to join me and make a team; they just don’t seem that interested. How can I get them excited for the scavenger hunt? And I just want to say, I’ve loved seeing you on Supernatural and outside of the show over the last few years. Looking forward to next season (and the next Cooking Fast and Fresh with West episode) already! Thank you!

Misha’s Answer: You haven’t missed registration. It’s still open, so your excuses are hollow. Also, if you don’t have a team of your own, we put you on an awesome team with kick-ass people, who will become your new best friends, so you will no longer need those lame, old friends who didn’t want to play with you.

Question: Thanks for doing an AMA Misha! Which do you believe is more demanding: being a director for an episode of Supernatural or being a father? Also, if Jensen Ackles is ever given the role of Batman, would you be his Robin?

Misha’s Answer: First of all, being a father is like directing Alien or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It’s much more difficult than directing an episode of TV. Also, directing a show or movie lasts a few months at most, parenting lasts for decades. Secondly, i am insulted by your suggestion of me playing robin to Ackles Batman. I would be the butler.

Question: Welcome to reddit, I’m glad Shatner sent you our way! I’ve been doing your scavenger hunts since the very first one, with the Rhino puzzle piece in the plastic lined envelope. Is there any item you were going to put on a hunt list and had to take off because it was too dangerous/illegal/actually impossible?

Misha’s Answer: Yes. there have been several items we have removed from the list because they were too dangerous, perverted or illegal. The second year i did a hunt, i had someone standing on the peak of a roof wrapped in lit christmas tree lights. When the first person submitted a photo of this item, i immediately realized how stupid this was and removed the item. In spite of my best efforts, people still get arrested occasionally participating in GISHWHES